Literacy Problems Research Articles

Издержки грамотности в области здоровья в технотронную эпоху

The article is devoted to an important problem of literacy of the population in the field of health preservation. The authors conduct a brief analysis of school textbooks that address the problems of epidemic diseases, including viral etiology, measures of control and prevention. The article draws attention to the shortcomings of the schemes offered by the publications and makes recommendations for changing the content of the educational literature.

К ВОПРОСУ О ТРАКТОВКЕ ПОНЯТИЯ «ФИНАНСОВАЯ ГРАМОТНОСТЬ»

The article substantiates the relevance of the financial literacy problem for students and graduates of educational organizations. The authors consider issues related to the term “financial literacy”, its origin, interpretations and correlated concepts. Financial literacy is considered as part of the students’ functional literacy.

Reciprocal Teaching as an Instructional Strategy for Identifying Reading Literacy Problems: A Case Study of an Omani EFL Classroom

This article presents the results of an action research undertaken by an EFL teacher in a grade nine Omani classroom. This action research investigated the use of reciprocal teaching (RT) as an instructional strategy for the purpose of identifying learners’ strengths and weaknesses in comprehending and interpreting reading texts. RT was used as an instructional tool for observing students’ thinking processes while they co-constructed meaning out of reading texts. 47 grade nine EFL female students took part in this study. The data was collected through students’ artifacts created while applying the strategies of RT, such as summarizing, questioning, clarifying and predicting. When assessed holistically, it was concluded that students succeeded in creating summaries, asking questions and making predictions. However, a closer analysis of the artifacts, showed that students faced difficulties in (i) synthesizing and integrating the key information included in the reading passages assigned to them; (ii) paraphrasing the key information mentioned in the texts; (iii) raising questions that target predicting and inferencing skills; (iv) applying the new information mentioned in the text to new situations. The study claims that the application of RT can inform teachers’ future pedagogical practices and assist students in developing their self-regulating skills.

STRENGTHENING HALAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN RIAU PROVINCE IN INDONESIA

This study explore and analyze the problems of halal tourism’s development in Riau Province with an Analytic Network Process (ANP) approach. The method used is the Analytic Network Process (ANP) which is a qualitative and quantitative method approach. The type of data that will be used in this research is the primary data and the form of the subject (self-report data). The samples used as respondents in this study were those who were considered experts in the field of halal tourism, namely the government in this case the ministry of tourism, tourism practitioners, regulators or perpetrators industrial activist in the field of tourism, Halal Product Guarantee Agency business and academics took by purposive sampling. The variables of this research are regulation, literacy, human resources, infrastructure, government policies, certification, government commitment, and socio-culture. The findings shows that the internal problems faced in the development of Halal tourism in Riau province based on the order of priority were infrastructure problems, regulatory issues, human resource problems, and literacy problems. Other findings indicate that the external problems faced are based on priority order, including government commitment issues, government policy issues, certification issues, and socio-cultural problems. The Managerial implications for halal tourism stakeholders in Riau province, especially the local government to pay attention to issues of infrastructure development, particularly access to places of halal tourism and have a strong commitment in developing halal tourism in the province.

Alfabetização em contexto de pandemia: algumas ideias sobre transcriação

Este texto, fruto de uma pesquisa acadêmica desenvolvida no Programa de Pós-graduação em Educação (PPGEDU) da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), traz como ponto central a problemática da alfabetização e letramento no Brasil, práticas que têm sido alvo de debates e ataquesno atual governo de Jair Bolsonaro. O trabalho evidencia, mais especificamente, a relevância acerca das implicações e reverberações de uma alfabetização desvinculada do letramento. Diante das transformações pedagógicas acarretadas pela pandemia, o texto também discute sobre a importância e o desafio de práticas lúdicas e corpóreas para o desenvolvimento de uma alfabetização e um letramento sensíveis, subsidiados pela ideia de transcriacão, conceito apresentado por Almeida e Araújo (2020).

How to tackle health literacy problems in chronic kidney disease patients? A systematic review to identify promising intervention targets and strategies.

BackgroundLimited health literacy (LHL) is associated with multiple adverse health outcomes in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Interventions are needed to improve this situation, but evidence on intervention targets and strategies is lacking. This systematic review aims to identify potential targets and strategies by summarizing the evidence on: (i) patient- and system-level factors potentially mediating the relation between LHL and health outcomes; and (ii) the effectiveness of health literacy interventions customized to CKD patients. MethodsWe performed a systematic review of peer-reviewed research articles in Medline, Embase and Web of Science, 2009–19. We assessed the quality of the studies and conducted a best-evidence synthesis.ResultsWe identified 860 publications and included 48 studies. Most studies were of low quality (n = 26) and focused on dialysis and transplantation (n = 38). We found strong evidence for an association of LHL with smoking and having a suboptimal transplantation process. Evidence was weak for associations between LHL and a variety of factors related to self-care management (n = 25), utilization of care (n = 23), patient–provider interaction (n = 8) and social context (n = 5). Six interventions were aimed at improving knowledge, decision-making and health behaviours, but evidence for their effectiveness was weak.ConclusionsStudy heterogeneity, low quality and focus on kidney failure largely impede the identification of intervention targets and strategies for LHL. More and higher quality studies in earlier CKD stages are needed to unravel how LHL leads to worse health outcomes, and to identify targets and strategies to prevent disease deterioration. Healthcare organizations need to develop and evaluate efforts to support LHL patients.

Перспективи молодіжного аграрного підприємництва в Україні

Мета. Мета статті – проаналізувати перспективи молодіжного аграрного підприємництва в Україні, визначити фактори, які стримують молодь в організації власної справи, та надати практичні рекомендації щодо активізації підприємництва серед молоді. Методологія / методика / підхід. У дослідженні використано такі методи: порівняльного аналізу (при визначені проблеми й цілі регулювання молодіжного аграрного підприємництва в Україні), метод опитування й анкетування (соціологічне опитування щодо молодіжного підприємництва та ставлення молоді до організації власної справи), абстрактно-логічний (при теоретичному узагальненні та формулюванні висновків). Соціологічне дослідження проведено у два етапи: І етап проводився в період листопад – грудень 2017 р.; об’єкт дослідження цього етапу – здобувачі вищої освіти другого (магістерського) рівня другого року навчання віком від 21 до 23 років (400 осіб). ІІ етап: січень – лютий 2020 р.; об’єкт дослідження цього етапу – випускники 2017 р., які пройшли перший етап анкетування (350 осіб). Результати. У процесі вивчення економічних аспектів молодіжного аграрного підприємництва в Україні встановлено, що це питання законодавчо неврегульоване та потребує вирішення, зокрема щодо визначення вікових меж молоді. Автори запропонували додати до нормативних актів такі визначення: «молодіжне підприємництво», «молоді підприємці» та «молодіжне аграрне підприємництво». На основі комплексного соціологічного опитування молоді виявлено, що є відмінності в результатах дослідження одних і тих самих респондентів, проведеного у 2017 р. та 2020 р.; за рахунок цього встановлено основні стримуючі фактори організації власної справи та проблеми, з якими стикаються молоді підприємці. На основі отриманих результатів розроблено практичні рекомендації щодо активізації розвитку молодіжного аграрного підприємництва в Україні. Оригінальність / наукова новизна. Набули подальшого розвитку теоретичні положення щодо регулювання молодіжного підприємництва в аграрній сфері. Базуючись на результатах опитування, проведеного у 2017 р., щодо перспективи здійснення підприємницької діяльності молоді, та аналізуючи результати опитування, яке проведено на початку 2020 р., оцінено важливість фінансової підтримки молодіжного підприємництва, ділове середовище здійснення діяльності, стабільність і рівень корупції в країні та інші стримуючі фактори розвитку. Запропоновано основні шляхи активізації молодіжного аграрного підприємництва, враховуючи результати проведеного дослідження. Практична цінність / значущість. Практична цінність наукового дослідження полягає в тому, що отримані авторами результати сприятимуть формуванню уявлення щодо проблем, із якими стикається молодь під час організації власної справи, та способів їх вирішення. Результати опитування випускників можуть сприяти вирішенню проблемних питань щодо фінансової та підприємницької грамотності серед молоді, рівня доступу до фінансових ресурсів та інших проблем, пов’язаних із молодіжним підприємництвом. Крім того, внесені пропозиції щодо активізації молодіжного підприємництва дадуть змогу державним органам запровадити ефективні методи стимулювання молоді до підприємницької діяльності.

Media literacy in the system of the secondary education in Russia

This article is devoted to the issue of media education in Russian school. The main attention is paid to the concepts of media education and media literacy. The authors have studied the issue of media literacy in the education system of Russia. They have discovered that today an insufficient attention is paid to the problem of media literacy and media education at the school level. The authors argue that the educational standards and the school textbooks do not take into account the need to teach methods of protection against manipulation in the media.

Technical Reading and Writing Skills and Their Relationship with Linguistic Processes in Children with a Cleft (Lip and) Palate: A Comparison with Peers

Introduction: Poor word decoding skills and writing skills can impact job opportunities and psychosocial functioning. Despite the importance of identifying possible literacy problems for the child’s future performance, there seems to be no consensus on this topic in children with a cleft of the palate with or without a cleft of the lip (CP±L). The aim of this study was to investigate reading and writing skills and their relationship with linguistic processes in Dutch-speaking children with a CP±L compared to a group of children without a CP±L. Methods: Twelve children with a CP±L and 12 children without a CP±L (age range 7–12 years) were included in the study. The 2 groups were matched based on age, gender, and socioeconomic status. An assessment battery including language, reading, and writing tests was administered to both groups. Results: No statistically significant differences in reading and writing skills were found when comparing children with and without a CP±L. Interestingly, a moderate correlation was found between the children’s reading skills and phonological awareness. Moderate correlations were also revealed between writing skills and several working memory tasks. Discussion/Conclusion: Our findings did not provide evidence for any difference in word decoding skills and writing skills between children with a CP±L and their peers. Some linguistic processes, more specifically phonological awareness and working memory, are important factors that contribute to the child’s literacy development. Identification of these linguistic skills can provide important information on the child’s future reading and writing performance. Future studies should increase sample sizes to confirm these results.

Formação de professores a distância (EAD) e o transtorno específico da aprendizagem com prejuízo na leitura, a dislexia

A dislexia começou a ser discutida na educação recentemente e de acordo com a Associação Brasileira de Dislexia (2019) cerca de 15% dos alunos em período de alfabetização apresentam dificuldades e prejuízos na leitura, recebendo diagnóstico. O professor é o primeiro profissional a identificar dificuldades de leitura e escrita, pois é o responsável pelo processo de alfabetização. Por isso, tem-se a necessidade de formar professores capazes de perceber as dificuldades e conseguir traçar estratégias para diminuí-las. Os sujeitos da pesquisa foram 11 acadêmicos concluintes de um curso de pedagogia a distância, que de livre e espontânea vontade responderam um questionário online através da plataforma Google Forms. A análise das informações obtidas ocorreu de modo qualitativo exploratório, fazendo um paralelo entre as respostas e os materiais já publicados. Sendo assim, buscou-se compreender a realidade de uma pequena amostra da região, no que diz respeito ao ensino EaD e o conhecimento sobre transtornos de aprendizagem. Os resultados demonstraram que as grades do curso de pedagogia abordam os transtornos de aprendizagem, permitindo aos acadêmicos o contato com o tema e a preparação para a atuação profissional. Dessa forma, tem-se a necessidade de cursos de especialização e de formação continuada sobre as dificuldades de aprendizagem, para que os professores possam obter maiores informações sobre e, consequentemente desenvolver um trabalho assertivo e que possibilite a inclusão de todos os educandos.

PECS vs. iPad Intervention for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Literature Review

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) refers to a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication, behaviour and socialization of the individuals diagnosed with ASD. In children, ASD is considered as a high incidence disability since it affects one in eight children. In regard to functional communication skills of the children, effective augmentative or alternative communication process and device is highly important to facilitate positive outcomes. Both Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and the iPad with its communication applications are considered emerging treatment children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of this literature review is to compare the effectiveness of low tech intervention (through the utilization of PECS) and high tech intervention (through the utisation of iPad). The study was conducted by selecting electronic articles from several databases which were published between 2008-2018. The findings show that PECS is highly effective for increasing intentional communication skills and independence in requesting and making decisions as well as beneficial for non-English speakers. Meanwhile, iPad-based intervention is beneficial to solve children’s literacy problems, to reduce stressors during interventions, and to increase the children’s effective intra-verbal responses. It is then suggested that teachers, parents and care givers employ the combination of both low tech and high tech interventions as combining the two will lead to better outcomes.

Mother-child separation among women living with HIV and their children in the first four years postpartum in South Africa.

Mother-child pairs may separate during early life, yet the health impacts thereof are unclear. We explored the patterns and impact of separation among women living with HIV (WLHIV) and their children in South Africa. WLHIV who had initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) during pregnancy received HIV viral load (VL) testing and completed a timeline questionnaire of mother-child separation since delivery at 3-5years post-partum. Health care usage was abstracted from routine medical records. We examined associations between separation and (a) maternal health outcomes (engagement in HIV care and HIV viral suppression, [VS]) and (b) child health outcomes (post-breastfeeding HIV testing and immunisation completion), using logistic regression. Of 346 mother-child pairs (median maternal age at antenatal ART initiation, 28years), 24% were ever separated (median time to first separation 20months, interquartile range [IQR] 9, 31). Most separated children were living with their grandmothers (65/83, 78%). Mothers who ever separated were younger, and more likely to be employed, and to reside in informal housing than those who never separated. Any separation reduced the odds of VS≤50 copies/mL at four years post-partum (odds ratio 0.57; 95% CI 0.34-0.93); associations were similar for VL≤1000 copies/mL and maternal engagement in care. No association was found between separation and child confirmatory HIV testing or immunisation completion. In this setting, mother-child separation is common in the first four years of life and appears associated with suboptimal maternal outcomes. Further research is required to understand the drivers and implications of mother-child separation.

Financial problems associated with food insecurity among public university students in Peninsular Malaysia

Introduction: Food is a necessity for students. Yet, students’ food expenditure is anticipated to be restrained by their financial status. This cross-sectional study aims to determine the prevalence of food insecurity and its determinants among university students attending public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: Multistage random sampling was used to select respondents from public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 427 undergraduate students completed a selfadministered questionnaire at four randomly selected universities (Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Pahang and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia). The questionnaire consisted of information concerning demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, food security status, eating behaviour, financial literacy, and financial problem among university students. Frequency, chi-square, and logistic regression were used to analyse the variables. Results: Mean age of the respondents was 21.6 years, and 60.9% were found to be food insecure. Gender (χ2=5.415), origin (χ2=3.871), number of siblings (χ2=4.521), financial problem (χ2=42.364), and regular breakfast intake (χ2=5.654) were associated with food security status (p<0.05). Male respondents had 1.5 times (AOR=1.547, 95% CI: 1.006-2.380) the risk of having low food security status. Those with higher financial problems (AOR=3.575, 95% CI: 2.332-5.481) were 3.5 times more likely to be food insecure. Conclusion: The prevalence of food insecurity among public university students in Peninsular Malaysia was significantly high. Thus, intervention studies should focus on students with financial problems. Moreover, establishing a better system for an on campus food pantry or food bank is needed to counter the high prevalence of food insecurity among university students.

PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT USIA PRODUKTIF MELALUI KEMAMPUAN KEAKSARAAN PADA MASYARAKAT KAMPUNG DAGIMON OBAA KABUPATEN MAPPI PROVINSI PAPUA

Illiteracy rates in two districts in the southern region of Papua, namely Mappi and Asmat districts, are still very high, reaching 60 percent. Illiteracy eradication (PAB), one of the non-formal education programs, is the government's effort to alleviate people from ignorance, poverty, backwardness and powerlessness. This activity is an activity Kuliah Kerja Nyata-Pembelajaran Pemberdayaan Masyarakat (KKN-PPM) with the Literacy program. The activity method is counseling, interactive discussions and community learning accompanied by students of the Elementary School Teacher Education Study Program (PGSD), Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) Cenderawasih University (UNCEN). The target of this activity is at the productive age, with the aim 1) Improve reading, writing and arithmetic skills as well as functional skills to improve the lives of students, 2) Exploring the potential and sources of life around the learning environment of participants, to solve literacy problems 3) Developing reading, writing and numeracy skills so as to develop their potential local and resources. 3) Developing reading, writing and arithmetic skills so that they can solve problems in everyday life, 4) Providing opportunities for KKN PPM students to experience learning and working in community development activities. The results of the activity show the high interest of the community to catch up with literacy. The level of attendance and enthusiasm for learning activities can be seen in the activity of trying to read, write and count at each learning session. After 30 days of activities, the mastery of community literacy has not been completed, but the impact of this activity has been able to open people's horizons. It needs sustainable activities and a strong commitment from the local government to complete community literacy.Keywords: empowerment, literacy, productive age, Mappi, Papua

Description and prediction of reading decoding skills in Swedish children with Developmental Language Disorder

Aim Research is lacking in terms of reading decoding skills among clinical samples of Swedish-speaking children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Method The present cross-sectional study included a sample of 61 children (8-12 years) with DLD attending school language units, years 1 to 5. Our purpose was to study reading decoding skills and predictors for decoding, such as a phonological processing skill (nonword repetition), working memory, and a family history of literacy problems. Results The results on a combined measure of the word and nonword decoding indicated that only 18% of the children had age-adequate decoding skills. The proportion of age-adequate decoders did not change noticeably with the school year. The participants’ decoding skills showed larger deviations to test norm means with higher school years. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that the best predictors of decoding skills were measures of working memory and nonword repetition, followed by school year. These factors significantly contributed to the variance in decoding among our sample of children with DLD. A family history of literacy problems made no contribution to the variance. Conclusions: The findings emphasize the necessity of assessing and following up on literacy development in children with DLD.

LEARNING TRAJECTORY OF GEOMETRY TRANSFORMATION BASED ON ETHNOMATEMATICS OF TRADITIONAL BALINESE HOUSES

Various studies show that Indonesian students' mathematics literacy is very low. The low level of mathematics literacy is influenced by many factors including the fact that mathematics learning does not relate to culture. The term used to relate mathematics to culture is called Ethnomatematics. The purpose of this study is to determine the learning trajectory of geometrical transformation based on Ethnomatematics of Traditional Balinese Houses that can improve mathematical literacy. This type of research used is a design research type validation study consisting of 3 phases, namely: (1) preparation of experiments, (2) experiments, and (3) retrospective analysis. The study was conducted of Laboratory Undiksha Junior High School. The data of this study were collected by observation, interviews, and tests. Furthermore, the data were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the learning trajectory of geometry transformation begins with the giving of problems, phenomena, patterns, pictures, which are related to Ethnomatematics of Traditional Balinese Houses. Furthermore, students conduct investigations individually or in pairs related to mathematical ideas that exist in Ethnomatematics. Through discussion, students construct mathematical knowledge. Another result is that students become more enthusiastic in learning, and students' abilities in solving mathematics literacy problems become better.

Opportunities and Challenges in Developing Islamic Pension Funds in Indonesia

Despite the rapid development of the Islamic financial sector in Indonesia, the development of Islamic pension funds is way behind those of the other Islamic financial sectors. This study aims to explore the opportunities and challenges faced by Indonesian Islamic pension funds. Utilizing a qualitative research method, the study conducted Focus Group Discussions with 23 large pension funds spread across five big cities in Indonesia. It was revealed that opportunities and prospects for developing Islamic pension funds in Indonesia are relatively good. However, various internal and external challenges were found, such as a lack of knowledge; the weak commitment of founders; lack of quality human resources; relatively unfavorable tax treatment; limited investment instruments; competition with government pension schemes; and public literacy problems. Therefore, two broad strategies are recommended to develop the Islamic funds, namely the provision of direct/indirect incentives to market players, and literacy programmes to targeted/priority groups. These strategies are expected to encourage and accelerate the growth of Indonesia's Islamic pension fund industry in the future.JEL Classification: H55, H75, J32How to Cite:Kasri, R. A., Haidlir, B. H., Prasetyo, M. B., Aswin, T. A., Rosmanita, F. (2020). Probability of Paying Zakat from Micro Financing Project Return. Etikonomi: Jurnal Ekonomi, 19(2), xx – xx. https://doi.org/10.15408/etk.v19i2.16284.

The Relationship School Maturity and Writing Skills of Students with Learning Disability

Learning disability is a type of disability that is usually noticed when the child starts school. Early special education interventions can have very positive effects on the academic life of children with learning disability. For this reason, whether or not these students have reached the maturity required to start school during the transition from kindergarten to primary school will increase the effect of the intervention to be presented to them. It is also important how much the level of school maturity of students with learning disability can explain the problems they face during their literacy process. Accordingly, the aim of the study is to determine the relationship between school maturity and writing skills in first grade students with learning disability. This research is exploratory correlational research. The sample of this research is 57 primary school students who are diagnosed with learning disability and continue to being rehabilitee. School Readiness Test (MSRT) and Skill Evaluation scales are used. Besides, was included school success and demographic information of students obtained from interviews with teachers in the current study. Correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between the scores obtained from the variables. As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that there was no significant relationship between school maturity and writing skills of students with learning disability. However, it was found that there is a negative relationship between the scores gathered from the Metropolitan School Readiness Test's Word Comprehension, Matching and Copying subscales and Writing Skill Evaluation Form Order subscale. Also, it was found that there is a positive relationship between the scores obtained from the Metropolitan School Readiness Test Word Understanding, Matching and Copying subscales and Dictation. This research once again draws attention to the unique learning features of students with learning disability. The results of this study have shown that students with learning disability are dependent on other factors rather than school maturity underlying literacy problems. Keywords: Metropolitan School Readiness Test, Scholl readiness, Learning difficulties, Literacy DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/6-11-01

Preschool Speech Intelligibility and 8-Year Literacy: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

Purpose The aims of this study were (a) to examine the relationship between speech intelligibility at the age of 5 years and literacy skills at the age of 8 years, (b) to explore the possible mediating or moderating role of broader language skills at 5 years in the relationship of interest, and (c) to assess whether the potential risk factors (child gender; maternal education levels; and family history of speech, language, reading, and writing difficulties) influence the relationship between speech intelligibility and literacy in terms of moderated mediation effects. Method We used mother-reported questionnaire data on 16,184 children participating in the population-based, prospective Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study as well as conducted linear regression analyses using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. In addition, logistic regression was conducted to make predictions about risk. Results The association between speech intelligibility at 5 years and literacy skills at 8 years was statistically significant (β = .168, p < .001). Children with speech problems at 5 years had a risk ratio of 2.38 (95% CI [2.10, 2.70]) and an odds ratio of 2.74 (95% CI [2.35, 3.19]), as compared to children without such problems. Broader language skills at 5 years partially mediated the relationship between speech intelligibility at 5 years and literacy at 8 years, and the effect of language skills appeared to be moderated by child gender, a family history of language difficulties, a family history of reading difficulties, and maternal education. Conclusions Severity of speech problems indexed by parent-reported speech intelligibility in preschool predicted school-age literacy problems. Broader language skills are a crucial mediating mechanism through which these problems are linked, and the mediated relationship is amplified by female gender, low maternal education, family history of language difficulties, and family history of reading difficulties. The findings call for increased use of a multiple-risk model when planning early interventions in children with unclear speech.

Children born before 32weeks of gestation displayed impaired reading fluency, comprehension and spelling skills at 9years of age.

Our aim was to study whether prematurity, associated with prenatal and neonatal risk factors, affects specific literacy skills among school children born at a very low gestational age (VLGA) of <32weeks. The study group comprised 76 prospectively followed VLGA children born between November 1998 and November 2002 at Oulu University Hospital, Finland, and 51 term controls. The median gestational age of the VLGA children was 29.0 (24.1-31.9) weeks. All children were examined at a median age of 8.9 (8.0-9.9) years in Oulu between November 2007 and November 2011. Reading fluency, comprehension and spelling skills were evaluated using standardised tests for Finnish-speaking children. Very low gestational age children had significantly poorer test results in reading comprehension (median 6.9 vs 8.3, P=.014) and spelling (median 35.7 vs 38.0, P=.013) than term children. Furthermore, VLGA children more often performed below the 10th percentile normal values in spelling (P=.012) compared with term controls. Foetal growth restriction was associated with lower scoring in reading fluency (P=.023) and spelling (P=.004) among VLGA children. Very low gestational age school children performed poorer in reading comprehension and spelling than term children. In addition, poor foetal growth in VLGA children was associated with literacy problems.